Cycling around Dracula’s Castle – Piatra Craiului National Park

Discover Dracula’s Backyard mountain biking tracks. Dracula’s Castle, an international landmark,  is probably one of the most visited places in Romania but we are not going to talk about that. Nevertheless, we are going to talk about the cycling opportunities around Dracula’s Castle. The old monument is located between two of Romania’s most  majestic mountain ranges, Piatra Craiului to the west and Bucegi to the east. With such fantastic surrounding areas the place is ideal for mountain biking (MTB), so below, you can discover two of our recommendations.

MTB & Cycling around Dracula’s Castle

Waypoints: Bran – Predelut – Zarnesti – Magura – Pestera – Moeciu – Bran 

Terrain: asphalt 60% + dirt road 25% + gravel 15%

We absolutely loved this track, even though it has been slightly more difficult than initially anticipated! The starting point is the small city of Bran and the first part of  the track is on asphalt. You have a mild start to warm your engines until you reach Zarnesti. Just before this village there is a gravel section followed by a descent on asphalt. You start the ascend just as you exit Zarnesti and shortly you enter into the Piatra Craiului National Park. From this point you continue on an excellent gravel road.

Before Magura we reach a bifurcation.  To reach the village you need to continue on the road to the left. We went right and did a 5 kilometer round trip detour because we wanted to also see the famous Prapastiile Zarnestiului. This is an impressive pass between high steep rocks that can take you all the way to the high alpine peaks of the mountain range. Because this track was not our focus we turned back and continued to Magura (we leave this route for a future trip dedicated only to it, but I can guarantee it is  a nice and demanding one).

The whole valley opens up as we reach the Magura and the view is fantastic. We take lunch on the meadow and enjoy the peace and quite.

From Magura we thought we will descent all the way back to Bran but not everything is as you wish it to be. We met another cycling couple that was pretty exhausted from the climb. At the sight of them Karina was gladly contemplating that we are going only down hill from here. The day dream ended when we reached another steep ascent that would take us to Pestera village.

As we enter the village we also reach the asphalt road. From here we descend. It is good to relax your muscles after you pumped them up.

It was a really nice trip even though we initially planed it to be slightly easier. Overall I would say it is approachable by anyone as log as you have the stamina for it. The whole track is on roads and there are no technical sections.

GPS track around Dracula’s Castle

MTB around Vulcan village

Waypoints: Vulcan – Holbav – Paltin – Vulcan

Terrain: asphalt 20% + dirt road 25% + gravel 50% + 5 % push bike on dirt road

From Bran we left with the car in the direction of Vulcan. We found a parking spot in the center of he village and started the track from there. We knew that this circuit was slightly longer and more demanding than the previous so we decided to skip the initial section from Bran to Vulcan.

We start directly with an ascent section all the way to Hobav, but the good thing is that it is on asphalt. From the village we slip on to a dirt road and the view also starts to become more pleasant. For the moment our energy levels are good.

From time to time we rejoice under the forest’s shade even thought it was not a surprisingly hot day.

Until Magura Codle peak you have an almost continuous ascend with only a few short descents. Sometimes you might need to pushbike but only for short sections. The landscape opens up at the highest point and you can admire the surrounding views. We stopped here for launch.

We have passed the biggest ascent of the circuit. From here things get slightly easier, a few descents and just two more ascents.

Karina manages to eat some dirt on the descent because of the dry / sandy state of the road. She caught a bit too much speed and thought to pinch the back brake. At this point her back wheel slipped and she found herself on the ground with the bike over her. Only regret: that I didn’t witness it :))

The mid section is on a gravel road that is in good condition but that will shake you and your wrists up a bit. Just when we were thinking about some relaxation we reach another ascent. This was impossible to approach on the bike. It is though a narrow, deep valley that was covered ankle deep in leaves. We got more tired from this push bike than from the track up to this point.

Next we entered the forest where we reached mud, lots of it. We were slowly pedaling so that we would not end up like total pigs at the end of the circuit. On this off-road and muddy section we met a guy on a scooter who was giving it all he had on the road. Surprisingly he was controlling the thing pretty well. After two minutes he was followed by two guys on enduro bikes who were also surprised by the scooter guy. It seems you can be extreme regardless of  what ‘gear’ you own. We had a good laugh at the whole situation.

From hill top to hill top we finally managed to find the correct way in the direction of Vulcan. The final section is on a gravel road that will shake your brains out. Finally a short section of asphalt just before reaching the car, to calm it all down.

This track has a few delicate sections but nothing too out of the ordinary. You can also avoid them by going off the bike. Care if you plan to go on this track after some rains. This might make the whole experience a nightmare and increase the difficulty by a lot.

GPS track around Vulcan

How to get to Bran?

The main basecamp location we chose for this trip was the small town of Bran. From Timisoara it is pretty straight forward how to reach it, make your way in the direction of Brasov and before the town turn south to Rasnov, and later Bran.

Where to sleep?

The area is packed with a lot of accommodation options. You have a wide array to choose from, it is simply a matter of preference. We decided to go to ‘Pensiunea Cerbul Carpatin’.  It had a decent price per quality ratio and we also had access to the shared kitchen, livingroom with fireplace and the outdoor terrace. The hosts are really nice and welcoming so we can warmly recommend the place.

Good to know

We did not have to pay any entrance fee for the access into the Piatra Craiului National Park.

For food you can find many establishments, ranging from totally traditional cuisine to international servings.

Have a look at the weather forecast for your trip but also for a few days prior. If heavy rains were recorded you can expect heavy mud sections for the tracks on dirt roads.

There are many other opportunities for  cycling around Dracula’s Castle with difficulty levels for all tastes.

Hope you found the information helpful and accurate, but remember, if you have any questions drop them in a comment below!

Other great adventures